Captain Herbert Sobel
Captain Herbert Sobel, is the overly strict original commander of Easy Company Biography Early Life Herbert Sobel was born on January 26, 1912 in Chicago, Illinois to a Jewish family. He went to military school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, graduated from the University of Illinois in 1934, and afterwards became a clothing salesman. Military Career World War II In 1941, at the outbreak of WWII, Sobel joined the U.S. Army/Airborne, and received an officer's commission as a 2nd Lieutenant (2LT). Afterwards, he was promoted to 1LT and was sent to Camp Toccoa, Georgia in 1942 as part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, an experimental unit which was part of the 101st Airborne. He was given command of Easy Company, part of the Regiment's 2nd Battalion. Sobel, was a strict disciplinarian who trained the men at such an extreme rate to push their limits and harden them. thumb|right|166px|Sobel inspecting the company's infractions Sobel was known to be a harsh drill instructor, constantly berating his recruits, punishing them for minor infractions, and frequently cancelling weekend passes. In one example, after calling his men to attention, he began one of his exacting inspections. He ridicules PVT Donald Malarkey for having a last name which is "slang for bullshit"; the bayonet of Joe Leibgott is slightly rusty, to which Sobel angrily states that he "wouldn't take this rusty piece of shit to war," and further adds that "I would not take you to war in your condition!" As a result of these minor infractions, Sobel cancels the weekend passes of all the trainees. One night, Easy Company went for their Friday night march, a 12-mile affair. After the march, Sobel inspected the men's canteens, noticing a trooper named Christenson has little water in his canteen. Sobel accused the trooper of drinking in defiance of a direct order, and the Paratrooper was ordered to repeat the run. Sobel trained the men hard, through determination, to make his company the finest in the regiment. He had them climb walls, do pushups and practice parachute jumping. Sobel trained them harder than necessary. He was a martinet and earned no respect from the men, but the men credited him that his technique and ethic made Easy Company. During training, COL Sink promoted Sobel to Captain for his superb training skills, and told him to promote 2LT Winters to 1LT. Sobel accepted the promotion, and agreed to give Winters promotion as well. After a surprise contraband inspection, Sobel told Winters of his promotion and gave him mess duty saying, "I think a special meal before men's afternoon off would be a welcome change of pace...I like spaghetti". In true Sobel fashion, he suddenly cancelled the dinner and sprung another Currahee run on the men, and was seen tormenting the men while they vomited along the way. When he taunted Randleman and tried to break him, the Company burst into song and ran faster. After training at Toccoa, the 506th moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, where they jumped and qualified as Paratroopers. First, the officers had to do the actual jump to prove their worth; when it was Sobel's turn, he was hesitant, but jumped anyway. Easy then headed to Camp Mackall, North Carolina, for tactical combat training: during an attack training exercise, Easy and another Company became lost. Sobel summoned map-holder, PVT Petty, to show him their position, then realized that they were in the wrong position and panicked. Winters advised an alternative solution, but Sobel refused and ordered the unit to advance. In disbelief, Easy advanced, and the opposing team brokes cover and ambushed them. A staff officer monitoring the exercise announced "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your Company", alluding that Sobel lost. Sobel and the entire division traveled by troop-ship to Aldbourne, England for further tactical training in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe. While training there, he and his platoon came to a fence; fuming, he ordered his platoon to hide behind growth nearby, while he, Petty, and another soldier try to figure out their position. A voice was heard behind the bushes, addressing Sobel: it sounded like Battalion XO MAJ Horton, ordering them to cut the fence and move on. Sobel did, not knowing that it was PVT George Luz, using his imitation talent, to prank him. Sobel was later reprimanded by Battalion Bommander LTC Robert L. Strayer because cows escaped through the cut fence and 'occupied' the Balltalion HQ. Sobel told Strayer that Major Horton commanded him to, but Strayer announced it was impossible, since Horton was in London. Both humiliated by this event and angrily aware of his own tactical blunders in comparison to Winters' emerging prowess, Sobel sensed Winters could overtake his leadership in combat and formed a plot: he issued Winters an Article 15 for not inspecting the latrine, because Sobel had changed the time from 1000 hours to 0945, though Winters wasn't informed of this change. Winters, intuitive that Sobel's imposition of non-judicial punishment would keep him from the Normandy jump, trumped Sobel with a written demand for a courts-martial instead, which would keep both him ''and ''Sobel from the jump for the proceedings. Sobel was alarmed at this twist of plot. Easy Company's NCOs mutinied in protest, giving COL Sink, the Regimental Commander, cause to question Sobel's combat effectivity in the company; he also set aside Winters' court-martial. In a meeting, Sink discussed the mutiny and court-martial matter with Sobel, but Sobel downplayed it. Sink, however, reassigned Sobel to Chilton Foliat jump school, much to Sobel's horror, and 1LT Thomas Meehan III became Easy's CO. Sobel missed the jump, Meehan was killed over Normandy and Winters became CO of Easy Company. D-Day came and went, and Sobel eventually made his way into France after the invasion, as a Battalion Supply Officer to help prepare for Operation Market Garden. On arrival to Easy Company's rally point for the invasion, he brought SGT Leo Boyle, who, in spite of his wound, wished to continue with his unit. Sobel's reappearance in episode 4 stunned many Easy Paratroopers there. Sobel then reprimanded Malarkey for an Army motorcycle Malarkey tried to take for himself. Sobel later participated at the Battle of Bastogne ("The Battle of the Bulge"), though little was known about what he did during the battle. He then participated in the occupation of Germany. During post-surrender occupation, CPT Sobel tried to walk past the now-MAJ Richard Winters without saluting him; Winters called him out, saying "You salute the rank, not the man". Grudgingly, Sobel then saluted Winters. Later Life Sobel went home and became an accountant. He was called for active duty during the Korean War and went into the National Guard. He eventually achieved the rank of LTC. He retired after the war, married, and had three children. He was a good and loving father, but he divorced after having complications with his wife and became estranged from his family. Sometime around the 1960s, he met MAJ Clarence Hester, who was Sobel's first Company Executive Officer, and later Battalion Operations Officer and they had lunch. Sobel had some mental problems from his war experience, and he was found to be bitter at life and at Easy Company. For an unknown reason, in the late 1960s, Sobel tried to commit suicide by shooting himself through his temple, but the shot only severed his optic nerves. He was later moved to a VA assisted-living home, and resided there for 17 years, before dying of malnutrition in 1987. Neither his children, ex-wife, or any member of Easy Company attended his funeral. Personality Sobel is depicted as a very strict commander, who pushes the men to their limits to make his company the finest company in the Battalion. Dick Winters attributes Sobel's overbearance and strictness with making Easy Company the success that it became. Category:Deceased Category:Characters Category:Paratroopers/Soldiers Category:Officers